Births decline again in U.S., but not as sharply

Associated Press

Associated Press

Published 9:03 pm, Tuesday, October 2, 2012

HOLD FOR RELEASE ON WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3, 2012 AT 12:01 A.M. - FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 file photo, a mother holds her newborn baby at Christus Spohn Hospital South in Corpus Christi, Texas. U.S. births fell for the fourth year in a row, the government reported Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012 with experts calling it more proof that the weak economy has continued to dampen enthusiasm for having children. But there may be a silver lining: The decline in 2011 was just 1 percent - not as sharp a fall-off as the 2 to 3 percent drop seen in other recent years. (AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora)

NEW YORK — U.S. births fell for the fourth year in a row, the government reported Wednesday, with experts calling it more proof that the weak economy has continued to dampen enthusiasm for having children.

But there may be a silver lining: The decline in 2011 was just 1 percent — not as sharp as the 2 to 3 percent drop in other recent years.

Most striking in the new report were steep declines in Hispanic birth rates and a new low in teen births.

Falling birth rates is a relatively new phenomenon in this country. Births had been on the rise since the late 1990s and hit an all-time high of more than 4.3 million in 2007.

But fewer than 4 million births were counted last year — the lowest number since 1998.

The flagging economy has been seen as the primary explanation. The theory is that many women or couples who are out of work, underemployed or have other money problems feel they can't afford to start a family or add to it.

The economy officially was in a recession from December 2007 until June 2009. But well into 2011, polls show most Americans remained gloomy, citing anemic hiring and other factors.

The birth rate for Hispanic women dropped a whopping 6 percent. It declined 2 percent for black women, stayed the same for whites and actually rose for Asian-American and Pacific Islanders.

Birth rates for teen moms have been falling since 1991 and hit another historic low. The number of teen births last year — about 330,000 — was the fewest in one year since 1946. The teen birth rate fell 8 percent, and at 31 per 1,000 girls ages 15 through 19 was the lowest recorded in more than seven decades.

The U.S. C-section rate may have finally peaked at just under 33 percent, the same level as last year.Cesarean deliveries are sometimes medically necessary. But health officials have worried that many C-sections are done out of convenience or unwarranted caution, and in the 1980s set a goal of keeping the national rate at 15 percent.